Music Vision:

"To enable all children to participate confidently in musical activity and give all children the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.  To develop all children’s skills and confidence in singing and enable all children to listen to and discuss a wide range of music.   To develop all children’s musical knowledge and skills  and enable all children to enjoy learning about and performing music."

Curriculum:

We use Charanga Musical School to support our music teaching (See Charanga overview below). Teachers use this resource to develop children’s musicality by leading games developing rhythm, timing and movement. They use Charanga to help model singing, developing children’s enjoyment and giving feedback to improve. Using the Charanga tracks, we introduce tuned and untuned percussion to play and along and explore musically. Children also have the chance to improvise and compose their own music during these lessons.

We work with Gloucestershire Music to give all children the chance to learn a musical instrument in KS2 through whole class tuition. Delivered by expert teachers, children learn from the start with the correct technique and skills to become musicians themselves. These lessons also teach and develop the other aspects of music, including the interrelated dimensions and reading staff notation.  Year 5 were lucky to go to Cheltenham Town Hall to perform the pieces they had been learning in whole class instrumental lessons with other schools.

Children also have the opportunity to learn an instrument in a small group via peripatetic music tuition.

 

We work to make sure that all children have a broad knowledge of music through our listening spine. Over their time at Linden, all children will listen many times to the pieces on our listening spine from a wide range of musical genres. Through listening discussions and creative activities, children develop a love of music and knowledge that goes far beyond modern pop music. They also learn that music is about art and interpretation, and they are invited to respond to the music in different ways.

Music Experiences:

Young Voices

Every year, pupils in Year 4 take part in the Young Voices project.  Young Voices is an amazing opportunity for the children to perform in one of the largest school choir concerts in the world.  It inspires the children and helps them to build a passion and love for music in addition to developing their skills and understanding of music and singing.  

Elinor (Year 4): 

"Young voices was amazing! There were flashing lights and it was so enjoyable that people were jumping up and down! They really made our days! You couldn’t have fallen asleep! The other performers were amazing, they were really energetic. We were so enjoying ourselves that we are still talking about it! It was so much fun that I wanted to go back. It gets a 1000/1000."

 London Sinfonietta

London Sinfonietta musicians spent some time in school in the autumn term working with a small group of pupils on a Composition Challenges workshop.  The musicians performed the children's compositions to the rest of the school in an assembly.  Some classes from Linden also created their own compositions within music lessons which were sent to the London Sinfonietta musicians.  The musicians have been rehearsing these pieces and performed a selection of these compositions at concert at the Guildhall in Gloucester.  Year 6 pupils were lucky to be able to attend this concert and hear the pieces being peformed by professional musicians.  

Gloucester Cathedral 

 

Year 3 were lucky to be chosen to take part in the Junior Voices Concert at Gloucester Cathedral.  The children spent a number of weeks learning songs in preparation for the concert.